Rise and Fall
by gosqueakinthenight
Summary: Eventually, he did join with someone to create a great empire. It was not the person he expected, but he loved her just the same. Fem!Greece/Italy, implied past Fem!Ger/Ita and Fem!Giripan


Empires rise, and empires fall.

The Roman Empire was a perfect example. Also, the British Empire. Or the Japanese Empire. Sometimes, the immortal personifications of these empires died. Others simply went back to being normal nations.

But unified empires, empires made of two counties united as one, were different.

Austria-Hungary. Poland-Lithuania. The Hapsburg Empire. The Swedish Empire.

They were bonds created by marriage, as two nations fell for each other and were wed. Sometimes the marriages were arranged by leaders, sometimes not.

But they almost always ended in tragedy. The happily married nations were usually torn apart, by war or by economic collapse. Austria-Hungary fell to World War One. Poland-Lithuania was destroyed by three other empires at once. Sweden and Finland were rent asunder by Russia.

But no empire has seen more tragedy and more loss than the Mediterranean Empire. The two nations involved went through hell for each other. They survived wars, conquest, defeats, and near-collapse before they were finally torn from each others' arms by the ones they thought were their friends.

This is their story.

!_!_!_!_!_!_!

_2012: After the nuclear reactor incident, Japan pulls its investments and support from foreign countries, especially Greece._

Greece had expected it to happen. Still, it made her feel like her insides were melting.

"I'm sorry, Helen." Japan sat across from her in the ruins of Sparta. He looked thin and sickly, and there were burn marks across his face from the Fukishima meltdown. Helen knew that Kiku had done all he could for her, but he couldn't openly disobey his government. She couldn't be selfish.

Japan stood and brushed off his uniform. Greece watched him, trying to hold back tears.

"Well, I suppose it's time." He slung a bag over his shoulder and kissed Greece on the cheek. "I-i'm sorry. I wish..."

Greece nodded in understanding. She picked up a small kitten and held it to to Japan. "Please... Take this... To help you remember."

Japan took the kitten. "Thank you, Helen. I'll take good care of him."

Tears started forming in Helen's eyes, but she kept her perpetually stoic expression and nodded.

Japan nodded, and his eyes seemed moist as well. "Thank you again, Helen. For everything." Then he slowly turned away from her and walked out of her life.

Helen lay down on a slab of stone and shamelessly cried herself to sleep.

!_!_!_!_!_!_!

_2013-2019: Greece's already weak economy slides into a severe depression. Protests and unrest are heard across the country._

Greece held her pounding head in her hands. She could feel herself sliding farther and farther into a depression, and the infighting in her government was doing nothing to help. She had already seen violent revolts in Athens that she could not suppress.

She could hear the cries of her people echoing through her mind, begging and pleading for help that she could not give.

She was close to _another_ civil war, and she knew that she would not be able to survive this one.

She tried to help in any way she could. She appealed for aid instead of sleeping during world meetings. She tried to peacefully resolve the political infighting in her government. But no matter what she did, it only seemed the depression got worse.

Helen lay, close to sleep, in one of the ruins her mother had left behind. It had been weeks since she had been able to curl up with one of her cats and simply doze, and it showed in the bags under her eyes. As she closed her eyes, she wondered how much longer she could keep going.

!_!_!_!_!_!_!

_2020: Italy sends economic aid and troops to Greece to bolster its economy and to suppress revolts._

Greece was close to giving up. It had been seven years since Kiku left, and civil war was looming closer and closer. She sat quietly in the corner of the meeting room, listening to the other countries argue endlessly over trivial things.

"Ve, excuse me, Miss Greece, are you sleeping?" a voice asked timidly.

Greece slowly looked up. "I was trying to," she said sadly.

"Oh! Ve, I'm sorry." Italy put up his hands. "But you said you needed help last meeting, and I thought well..." He trailed off, a bit embarrassed.

Greece looked down. Of all the people who decided to help, it had to be Italy. He'd attacked her once before, he was weak and kind of weird, and he was the grandson of Rome, who had killed her mother.

But she was desperate, so she nodded and patted the chair beside her.

Italy sat down and looked at her. "Um, so, you're still in debt to many countries, _si?"_

Greece nodded slowly and looked at him. He didn't look so good himself, either. He had dark circles under his eyes as well, and it seemed the worldwide economic downturn was affecting him as well. She also remembered the rumor, that the blond woman yelling at the top of her lungs at the meeting room had recently broken his heart. It was something like that.

"So, what can you do help?" Greece asked bitterly. "Try to feed my people pasta?"

"Ve, that would be nice, but I don't think that would work."

Greece hugged her cat to her chest. "I was being sarcastic, actually..."

"Really? I couldn't tell!"

Greece put her head in her palms and desperately tried to fall asleep before Italy began hugging her or something.

Needless to say, she failed miserably. After all, this is Italy we're talking about.

!_!_!_!_!_!_!

_2021-2025: Italian aid begins to flow into Greece, allowing the country to get back on its feet._

She sat in the ruins of Corinth, genuinely happy (or at least not depressed) for the first time in nearly ten years.

"Veeee! He's so cute! What's his name?"

"His name?" Greece looked at Italy, who had one of the many cats she owned on his head. "Oh, that's... um... Tim."

Italy laughed and petted the cat. Greece blinked in surprise. "You're not going to ask if I just made that up?"

"Ve? Why would I?"

Greece scratched her head. She just... didn't get the guy's attitude.

He was no Japan, but at least he was friendly.

!_!_!_!_!_!_!

"Seriously, _fratello?_ Seriously?" Romano waved his arms about, little puffs of steam coming from his head. He paced back and forth in front of his brother, who was sitting silently (for once) at the dinner table.

"Ve, Romano, what's wrong?"

Romano stopped pacing and glared at his brother. "What the hell do you think? It's barely been a decade after that whole episode with potato bitch-"

"Don't call her that!"

"-and you're already going after some other bimbo? Isn't one broken heart enough for you?"

Italy cringed. "Ve! It's not like that! I'm just helping her out! Why do you always think that-"

"ARGH!" Romano threw up his hands. "Fine, try charming some other nation! See if I care when you come crying to me after she stomps on your feelings!"

Feliciano watched Lovino stomp from the room. Then he put his head in his hands and tried to decipher what he really felt about Helen.


End file.
